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52-year-old man says he was kidnapped, assaulted

Police say they are investigating a somewhat “bizarre” case wherein a 52-year-old man claims he was kidnapped and assaulted by another man, allegedly for drug money.

The 52-year-old man, whose name was not released, told police he called a friend to get a ride from his Mendenhall Valley apartment to the downtown area on May 16, Lt. David Campbell said in an interview Wednesday.

His friend told him that was fine but they needed to go to an ATM first, Campbell said.

But when the man went outside to meet his friend in his Dodge pickup truck, the driver was not his friend.

Instead, it was a 22-year-old man, who had two passengers in the truck, and he grabbed him and pulled him into the truck, the alleged victim told police. Campbell said the two men knew each other.

“The first thing is to assure people this is not a random event with people that are unknown to each other,” Campbell said.

The 52-year-old told police the driver took his wallet and cell phone and told him that they were going to an ATM.

He made him take out $500, the alleged victim told police.

Campbell said the driver then headed toward Thane Road, at which point the 52-year-old began to get scared and he grabbed the steering wheel.

The suspects pushed him out of the car, but then parked it and walked away, the victim told police. He called 911 at about a little before 3 a.m.

Campbell said police seized the truck as evidence and tracked down the suspect for an interview, especially since the 52-year-old man’s story had a couple of inconsistencies, Campbell said.

The 22-year-old suspect told police in an interview that the 52-year-old man owed him money from a few days prior, and that he gave the 52-year-old $500 to purchase marijuana, Campbell said.

“He took him to the ATM to get back his $500 and denies that there was any kind of assault or robbery,” Campbell said.

Campbell added, “It’s kind of a he-said, he-said kind of report.”

Campbell said police are still tracking down the two passengers of the Dodge to interview them, and that the investigation is still ongoing.

So far, no charges have been filed, and no one was arrested, Campbell said.

“The D.A. is aware of this case and he’s been consulted about it,” Campbell said.